This course deals with the Israeli politics, economy, society and culture, since its creation in 1948 till today. It analyzes the construction of the Israeli historical narrative as an identity-building narrative, intending to inculcate a collective memory to a diverse society. We will focus on key events and essential components that shaped the Israeli society from the fifties till the present. We will also discuss the changes that the Israeli society experiences in its almost seventy years of existence and how it affects its politics and culture. Among the topics we will discuss issues such as immigration, economic transformation, political upheaval, religious Zionism and post-Zionism, privatization and Americanization, Holocaust increasing role in shaping Israel's identity, diversity and multiculturalism, as well as the enduring conflict with the Palestinians and the Arab world.

From the lesson

Israel - A Society in transition 1977-1995

In this lesson we will discuss the essential developments that transformed Israeli society at the end of the twentieth century.